Political cost of Obamacare quickly adds up for Democrats

One of the most time-tested but-oft ignored rules in Washington is that politics can shift as fast as ocean breeze. Just look at the latest poll on whether voters favor Democratic or Republican control of Congress.

The polling outfit at Quinnipiac University found that voters are evenly divided: 39% say they would vote for a generic Democrat in their congressional district and 39% favor a Republican. By contrast, Democrats held a huge 43% to 34% advantage in early October.

Another pollster, Rasmussen Reports, has shown a similar switch. The reason: Obamacare.

The disastrous rollout of President Obama’s signature health-care law has sharply undercut public support for Democrats, who historically tend to hold a modest lead in generic congressional ballots.

Before the launch of Obamacare, Democrats were feeling good about their odds of retaining control of the Senate and perhaps even winning back the House. The public blamed the government shutdown in October largely on Republicans and the party’s poll numbers took another nosedive.

As the fight over the shutdown fades, the fate of Obamacare has seized Washington’s attention almost to the exclusion of any other issue. Democrats in Congress are starting to get so worried about their 2014 election prospects that some are considering a break with the president. They might even support conservative legislation to alter or delay aspects of Obamacare’s rollout.

Keep an eye on Hillary and Bill Clinton. Hillary is widely considered the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, and she’ll probably try to distance herself from Obamacare if it remains a big headache for Democrats.

Her husband, the former president, reportedly stunned the White House this week by suggesting Obama needs to mend the law so people don’t lose health-care plans they already have. Some pundits view the move as the beginning of an effort by the Clintons to inoculate themselves.

The Qunnipiac poll suggests the Clintons should be worried. Hillary slightly trails Chris Christie in a head-to-head matchup, 43% to 42%, with independents flocking to the New Jersey governor. Clinton would easily beat less likely GOP nominees such as Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, however.

Still, the 2014 elections in November are a long way off. If the White House manages to fix the Obamacare website before then, Republicans no longer have the wind at their backs. And who knows what new political breeze might sweep up Washington and determine the outcome of the 2014 elections.